One Step Too Far
by Buncy The Frog
Summary: Things go wrong at Hinata Inn, for a reason? 2 eps-I higly recomment NOT reading this, as it sucks, and I'm workin on a better one ATM.
1. Chapter 1 One Step Too Far

Kyle Dohring  
  
This was based before the renovations in the Love Hina series. That means that Keitaro never said "Narusegawa,   
I love you!" With his ankle sprained, and Narusgawa still dosen't know the truth about Mutsumi Otohime,   
no Christmas special, nor the spring or LH agains, so there are some things to clear up, non?  
  
  
One Step Too Far  
  
  
  
"Ara... I forgot my study book again." Mutsumi Otohime exclaimed, with her hand on her forehead in her familiar   
fashion. Almost on que, her study partners face-faulted and gave her confused looks.  
" Mutsumi, your memory fails you so much lately, are you feeling ok?" Keitaro inquired, his face a mix of   
laughter and concern.  
"Oh, I'm fine, I'll just go and get it from home, see you two soon!" Otohime replied, and started walking out of   
Hinta Inn.  
"Wait! You can just look off one of ours!" Naru tried to stop her, but the 21-year-old ronin was already heading   
down the stairs and out the front exit of the dorm.  
"She really should get an organizer or something," Keitaro Urashima sighed, his head drooping from boredom, "that's   
the third time this month this has happened..."  
"Even if she does get one, she'd probably just forget it with her other books." Naru Narusegawa said, looking up   
from her book for a moment before going back to studying.  
  
About five minutes later, Keitaro looked up.  
"Naru, how do you do question 7?" He inquired, a quizzical look on his face.  
"You could be talking about something from one of the five chapters we're doing. Come over here and show me."   
Naru sounded exhausted. It was hard for her, Keitaro thought, when she had to put up with him all the time.  
"Well it's this one right here..." Keitaro leaned over to point it out, but he slipped and fell. Lo and behold,   
when the dust settled, his outstretched hand was resting on her breast.  
"You... BAKA!!!" Naru yelled and punched him out the door.  
"Ouch... Naru, I didn't..."  
"You never 'mean' to, you make me sick." Naru got up and walked by Keitaro's body and down the stairs. "I'm   
going to lunch."  
  
Urashima gave up and let his head hit the floor.  
"I'll never get her..." Keitaro complained, "as soon as I think I get her, she suddenly   
changes and I end up going through a wall."  
He laid like that for long moments, trying to figure out the latest roadblock in the way of their relationship.   
He finally gave up and was just trying to get up when he heard a concerned voice calling him.  
  
"Sempai! Sempai! Are you ok Urashima-sempai?" It was of course the only female in the dorm that openly showed   
concern for him, Shinobu Maehara.  
She tried to help him up, but he shook his head.  
"I'm alright, just thinking."   
They walked down the stairs to see Otohime coming through the front door.  
  
"Oh, hello Keitaro, are you done studying already? Ara... Did I faint again?" She looked around, her smile   
never fading.  
"No, no. We're just having lunch. Come on, Shinobu-chan made a great lunch I hear!" At that Shinobu blushed.   
It was a known fact that she had a crush on the ronin, but she never tried to tell him openly.  
They walked into the dining room just in time to see Naru walk out and head upstairs.  
  
"Naruuu, where are you going?" Otohime asked.  
"Studying. Done with lunch." Naru walked back to their room and closed the door.  
"Naru…" Keitaro protested to no one in particular, "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"  
  
*************  
  
Keitaro ate his lunch in scilence, despite Otohime's attempts to create conversation.  
"Keitaro... Why are you so upset? Did I do somethinq wrong?" She looked upset, puzzled, and worried.  
"No! No, it's nothing about you." Keitaro said, tryinq to think of what to say, "It's about Naru,   
she's been meaner and meaner to me lately, and I have no idea why..."  
"Oh, well if you need to, you can stay at my home, it'll be fun! We could-"  
"I couldn't do that at all Otohime, I have my duties as kanrinin to do" He noticed her mood darkening,   
and quickly tried to change the subject, "we better qo back and start studying."  
"Right!" Keitaro was relieved to see her cheerind up, "lets qo!"  
  
However, something, or someone to be precise, was blocking his path.  
"Heyya Keitaro!!!" It was Su Kaolla, the dorm's resident troublemaker, well half of the team anyway.   
Her best friend Sara MacDougal was her partner in misceif, and Keitaro wondered where she would pop out of to   
hit him with some hard object.  
"Hey Su, what is it?" Keitaro replyed while trying to look unconspicous while trying to search for Sara.  
"Guess what!!!" Su continued, "I made another invention!!!"  
"Really?" Keitaro prayed under his breath, "Is it one of those mecha-tamas that you always make?"  
"Nope." He let out a sigh of relief, but hopes were soon shatered when he heard, "It's MEGA MECHA TAMA!!!"  
A walking turtle came out from around the corner and its eyes glared red.  
"Fire!!!" Su yelled into a control box.  
The robot started pelting bombs at him that reminded him of when he first met Su and her tanks.  
"AAAAAA!!!! Stop it!!!" Keitaro was making a mad dash for his room, and just rounded the corner at the stairs  
to see a rocket blow up where he would have been if he hadn't turned.  
  
Keitaro flung open his door to see Naru quietly studying. She looked up at him, and then quickly went back to   
her books.  
"Narusegawa..." Keitaro began, but was interupted by an explosion in his back, and was sent flying through   
his window, and out into the open. He dashed away again, but got another hit.  
"Su!!! Shut that thing off!!!" He yelled, and Su, having been pleased that her invention worked, directed   
mega mecha-tama to go back to storage. He had no idea where that was, and somehow, that made him feel better.  
  
By the time he got back to his room, Naru and Otohime and were hard at work studying. Keitaro got back to his spot  
and started working, when he realised that the question he had problems with has still unanswered.  
"Naruseg..." He started to ask, but naru just slid her notes to him, and he looked through them, finally finding  
the question. He looked over Naru's answer, but it helped him understand what to do about as much as a kick in the  
head solves a headache.  
"Narusegawa, could you-"  
"Ask Otohime, she knows." Naru interupted him, and Keitaro turned to Mutsumi.  
"What one is it Keitaro?" She asked politely. Urashima pointed it out.  
"Well, first you have to...."  
  
After Mutsumi had left, Naru went up to her room and shut the door.  
"What has gotten into her, things like that hapen all the time." Keitaro thought aloud, "I wonder if her patience  
just snapped. It's most likely all my fault..."  
Then, he got an idea.  
There was a hole that separated his and Naru's rooms. If he could just look inside and see what she was doing,  
not that he wanted or expected to see her changing or something along those lines, he could see what the problem   
was. He got up on top of his table, and was about to poke his head through, when Kitsume, or Mitsune Konno,   
which was her real name, slid the door open.  
"Before you spy on Naru, you have your job to do. Oh, and during lunch she was muttering something to herself,  
I think I caught "Keitaro" in there many times, you may be in deep trouble." She casually slid out of view,  
and called back, "She may not keep forgiving you forever you know!"  
  
That hit Keitaro like a brick. He started thinking. What if she never talks to me? What if she never even  
looks at me, or even worse, what if she doesn't have a chance to know how I really feel about her?  
  
Wiping that from his mind as best he could, he started getting to work. His first stop was the hot springs.  
If no one was there, he would start there, and if there did happen to be someone in the bath, he would take  
a circular route around the inn, and end there.  
  
When he arrived, the springs were empty. Ok, he thought, time to get to work. Cleaning the hot springs   
was basically just sweeping leaves and dirt from the rock around the water. He had only actually been in  
the water a few times. One was that fateful first event where he met Naru away from school, and then  
other times where he was sure that the girls weren't going to be around. As he was cleaning though, a  
figure wearing a towel came around the door that separated the hot springs from the inn, and it was none  
other than Naru Narusegawa. Keitaro tried to shield himself, but instead of his usual beating, Naru  
just looked at him with a face so full of menace that he almost trembled by looking at her.  
"Get out." She commanded. Keitaro stood dumbstruck for a second before saying,  
"Naru, I wanted to just tell you that-" but he was never given a chance  
"I SAID GET OUT!" She screamed at him. He again could not believe that she could posses so much hatred for  
him, that much anger. Naru, obviously outraged at the fact that he still wasn't gone, picked him up by  
his collar, dragged him toward the door, and threw him back into the inn. He tried to get up as soon as   
he could but Naru had slammed the door before he could utter a sound.  
  
**************  
  
He completed his rounds in a depression that made all the girls at Hinta Inn upset, even his aunt Hakura Urashima,  
who was rarely bothered by anything. After he was done, he walked past the door to the springs, not even  
caring if Naru had left yet. When he got to his room, he hesitated before turning around and going back   
out to the front of the inn, and left to go for a walk.  
  
He hardly even thought as he wandered the streets, and barely even acknowledged it when he ran into Otohime.  
"Oh, hi Keitaro, what are you doing?" She asked, looking happy as usual. He, on the other hand, just simply  
walked past her and deeper into town, away from the inn.  
  
Mokoto Aoyama was practicing her sword combat skills when Mutsumi walked up behind her.  
"Ara... Do you know where Naru is?" She asked Mokoto. She turned slightly, and eyed the woman.  
"I think she's still in her room, why do you ask?" The swords master inquired.  
"Oh, its just that Keitaro was acting strange, and when that happens, Naru is usually mad at him." She   
replied mater-of-factly, "So if I find out what's wrong with Naru, Keitaro can be happy again!"  
At that Mutsumi turned around and headed down to Naru's room.  
  
On the way though, she bumped into Kitsume, who was havily drunk.  
"Oh, ichss the turtle lady!" She babbled, "What bringess you hure?"  
"Well actually im looking for Naru-chan," Otohime explained, "Do you know where she is?"  
"Ooohhh, Naruuuss gone for a wulk, hiccup!, but shesss purty mad at Keicharo" It was obvious to Mutsumi  
that Kitsume would have quite a hangover the next day. She quickly thanked the drunkard and sped out to find Naru.  
Well, she would have sped out, except that she fainted, either from the excitement of what was going on or   
just over-exertion.  
  
************  
  
Naru walked aimlessly though the town like Keitaro, but unlike Keitaro, her mind was fast at work, going over  
and over in her mind all the reasons she hated him.  
1. He was a pervert who would stop at nothing to get some action, no matter with who, he even attacked poor  
Shinobu!  
2. He was dumb. I mean, at least Mutsumi was smart, she just never did something crucial, like write her  
name on a test paper, or fainted before she got to the test center and had to be taken to the hospital.  
Keitaro on the other hand, was a third year ronin, who, it looked like, was about to become a fourth pretty  
soon.  
She made a mental note of all the things she could find wrong about him, but couldn't help but think about  
the times where they shared something special, like that one time when they accidentally broke each other's   
glasses while on a vacation, and neither of them knew the identity of the other. They went on a great date,  
and when they finally realized that they had spent the day together, they were amazed at the things that  
the other could do, like not be a pervert. She tried to cast these thoughts aside, but they kept coming back.  
She almost tried to hit her head against s nearby building, she could not give in to him again, she could NOT  
be used again for his perverted pleasures.  
She continued waling, oblivious to the fact that Keitaro was just a block ahead of her.  
  
*************  
  
Keitaro finally had one thought. If he was so awful and worthless, which is exacly what the could hear Naru  
screaming in his face, he may just not ever come back. He decided that once and for all, he was going to end it.  
He turned to go back to the inn to get his things, when he brushed past none other than Naru Narusegawa.  
"Naru...?" He said under his breath as he saw her walk by, not knowing wither she had seen him or not, and   
turned again. If he didn't touch her, and was careful of his footing, he may just be able to survive talking   
to her, hopefully without loosing his teeth. He tried to think of his words carefully, but in the end just   
blurted out,  
"Narusesawa, wait!"  
  
************  
  
Meanwhile, Mutsumi had just woken up.  
"Ara... Not again..." She murmured, "I wonder what Naru is doing right now.  
  
************  
  
Narusegawa was actually frozen. She had just been found out by the one person who she wanted to see the least  
right now, or ever for that fact. She then followed her suit, and ran. She ran as fast as she could, and  
got a few people mad along the way. She didn't care. The only thing going through her mind was just to run,  
and to get away from HIM. However, Keitaro, used to running toward, and away from Naru, caught up to her  
without a lot of trouble. She stopped again, and turned.  
  
***********  
  
Otohime was wandering through the city streets, desperately trying to find the only girl who could make Keitaro  
feel happy. She knew that, if given a choice, he would pick Naru over herself, and whenever Keitaro was  
glad, she felt better. Although she gave it her best effort, she accidentally walked by the spot where the  
two people who she was trying to find were.  
  
***********  
  
"Naru, please listen, I'm really-"  
"Sorry, I know," Naru fumed, "It'll never happen again, and yet it always does. You are the most perverted,  
ignorant, persistent, hateable person that I have ever known!" At that, traffic around the two stopped,   
the people started to keep about a two meter distance between themselves and the enraged brunette.  
"Narusegawa, you don't understand," Keitaro tried to explain, "I never wanted those things to happen, I  
never did! Ever since I saw you at the hot spring, I've been so clumsy, it's like I can't even think   
properly around you... Narusegawa, I really want to be with you."  
Naru stood dumbfounded, not knowing wither to throw forgive him, or punch to orbit. She finally  
made a decision. She ran.  
  
End of Chapter one 


	2. Chapter 2

Kyle Dohring  
  
This was based before the renovations in the Love Hina series. That means that Keitaro never said "Narusegawa,   
I love you! With his ankle sprained, no Christmas special, nor the spring or LH agains, so there are some   
things to clear up, non?  
  
One Step Too Far: Chapter 2  
  
"Where did those two go to?!" Kitsume inquired of the girls attending  
the special conference being held at the hot springs, "I thought that  
Naru was infuriated at Keitaro and that she wasn't talking to him... And now they go and run away with each other?!"  
They had hurriedly gathered there after they had both realized that  
both Keitaro and Naru were gone, something that meant either  
they were both away at the same time co-incidentally, but more likely,  
as the girls (or at least some of them) would have liked to think,  
were running away together again, just like that one time when they  
both tried to commit suicide together. They had protested against   
that, but the girls knew their plans, and stopped them in time  
"I don't think that's how it's happening Kitume-Sempai." Shinobu tried  
to explain, "She looked pretty mad when I last saw her, and I didn't  
see Keitaro with her either..."  
"Then it's settled!" Su yelled, jumping on Mokoto, who shot her a  
look of annoyance, "We'll go and find them!" She started to jump  
around the springs shouting  
"Search! Search! Search! Search!" She then proceeded to bound up to  
the roof and then gracefully fall down into her room.  
"Where does she get all her energy..." Hakura remarked, taking a long  
drag on her cigarette.  
"I don't know and I don't care lets GO!!!" Sara commanded as she sprinted toward her room also.  
"I'll never get those two." Kitsume said between sighs, "They always  
want to interfere with those two."  
"Sounds like you, Kitsume," Mokoto remarked "now let's catch up to them  
before they get lost."  
  
************  
  
Tears streamed from Naru's eyes. "Why do I always do this?"  
She thought, "Why do I always push him away?" Narusegawa's mind was full of thoughts, but one stood out more.   
She quickly did a 180 and started running back to Hinta Inn.  
  
Keitaro was running as fast as he could, but kept on getting caught in the crowd as he ran.  
He finally got a rhythm for it and was jumping around the people, when he got hit, hard, in the   
shoulder, causing him to spin around. Just before he landed, he thought he caught a glimpse of   
the person who hit him. The only thing he could see was two hairs   
sticking put of the person's head like antennae. That soon escaped his mind as he fell on his   
elbow, the tension causing seering pain to  
course through him. He yelled and looked over to see his arm bent  
in two places, his elbow, and upper arm. The pain was so intense, he could hardly talk. The only   
thing he managed to say was,   
"Narusega..."  
  
************  
  
Otohime was still trying to find where Naru was, when she saw a hole in  
the crowd. As she approached it, she heard people hurriedly talking,   
saying things like:  
"Someone call an ambulance!"  
"Give him room! Come on!" Otohime moved through the crowd, trying to  
see the poor person who was in so much pain that they needed to go  
to the hospital. She finally got into a place where she could see  
the person. She gasped, and let out a weak "Ara..." Before fainting.  
  
************  
  
"OOOOOWWWWW!" Keitaro yelped as he tried to move his arm  
"Sempai, don't move it, you have to follow directions!" Shinobu  
was with Keitaro at breakfast in the hospital.  
Keitaro's room was decorated with some notes from the girls "saying  
get well soon", and Su even converted her "Virtual Kun", which could  
read people's fantasies, to a "Game Kun", which would allow Keitaro  
some amusement while trying to recover. The only thing missing from   
the room was something from Naru. She had become dislodged from  
normal life at the dorm, and rarely showed up for meals, Shinobu  
had to deliver them to her room.  
"I'm worried about Naru-Sempai, she's been acting strangely lately."  
Shinobu confessed.  
Keitaro hardly heard any of it, he was so depressed that even after  
he had finally told Naru his true feelings, she had rejected him once again.  
  
He arrived back at the Hinata Inn, and was greeted my everyone happily, they even threw a party for him.  
He walked around the party with a   
happy smile on his face, until he realized that Naru hadn't shown  
up. His mood immediately dropped, and he drooped his head.  
"They throw too many parties" he thought.  
  
He slowly headed back to his room, the short walk was full of questions  
and reasons why she hadn't shown up at the party, and why she assaulted him before that caused the break in the first   
place.  
1. She hates me  
2. I'm a ronin who will never achieve anything  
3. I'm an accident prone baka who always gets in bad situations  
4. I'm a liar  
5. She must have some thoughts about Otohime and me  
The list went on and on, Keitaro was too ready to find anything wrong  
with himself. He let out a long sigh, and then a yelp of pain as he instinctively tried to open the  
door with his bad arm.  
  
**************  
  
Meanwhile, Naru was upstairs, cradling her legs in her arms and slowly rocking back and forth, humming  
a tune that she couldn't get out of her head lately. It was called "Be for you, be for me". She and  
Keitaro had sung a duet of it once at a karaoke. They had had fun at the time, but now humming that love song,  
she felt like she was on the verge of bawling. She heard Keitaro's door open, and stopped immediately.  
Keitaro still must think that she hurt him on purpose, because when she talked to Kitsume a while back...  
  
"So, I hear you're behind this latest injury of our Kanrinin, Naru." Kitsume hummed, her smile as tight as her  
eyelids.  
"What are you talking about? I didn't touch him!" Naru protested, a large sweat drop forming on her forehead.  
"The way I hear it, you hit him and sent him sprawling." Kitsume said, her grin still intact, "So, wanted to end  
things with a bang?"  
"NO! I didn't even know he was hurt until I got back!" Naru almost screamed, "I was brushing past a lot of  
people, I could have done that to anyone!"  
"Well," The meddling girl replied, "You should tell him that then."  
  
Those six words were playing over and over in her head, she was trying to figure out what to do. She still had  
to be mean to him, unless he would stop studying. She had to stop the tension between them though. Five weeks  
had been plenty of time to think about it. The hole in the floor was a good way to surprise him, and maybe bring some  
laughter back into her life...  
  
She bent over to open the hole up, and moved her Lido-kun doll out of the way, but hesitated, partly because she   
was nervous, and secondly, because she heard conversation.  
"Keitaro, when you get better, I expect you to start working again right away." Mokoto, had to be.  
"Keeeiiitttaaarrrooo, you've gotta see my new improved Mega Mecha Tama soon!" Su, they all must be saying goodbye   
before he can rest.  
"Kecharo, whycha leave the parchy? Cha saake hus hurdly buun tuched!" Kitsume, always looking for an excuse to drink.  
"Bye Keitaro, sleep well!" Sara called, there foot steps went out of his room, and then spread out over the dorm.  
But, as she listened, she could just barely hear Shinobu's voice.  
"Sempai, are you mad at Naru?" She almost whispered, Naru had to press her head against the floor to hear.  
"No, Shinobu-chan, I must have deserved it, or else she wouldn't have done that." Keitaro said defensively. Naru   
blushed at hearing that he didn't hold it against him. She had shown him little affection throughout the whole   
course of their relationship, well, knowing each other, and yet he always was faithful to her, and never held   
anything against her.  
She heard Shinobu leave the room, and moved the piece of wood over the hole to the side. She was surprised as about   
as much as he was when she saw him staring back up at her.  
  
"AAAAA! Naru!"  
"AAAAA! Keitaro!" they both said at the same time.  
"Um... Narusega-"  
"Keitaro, let me explain..." Naru began, "I overreacted. I blew up on you for something that I would usually  
just forgive you for after a while, but... I'm going through a rough time with my family. Mei-Chan is sick,  
and I don't know what's wrong... I've tried to hide it but..." A tear ran down her cheek, and she hung her head.  
"Narusegawa..." Keitaro said, an obviously concerned look on his face. He pulled himself up the hole that   
separated their rooms, through much pain because of his arm, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, you're strong,   
(ouch)I know you can get through this." He started trying to rub his arm through the cast.  
"What were you doing looking up at the hole anyway?" Naru whispered through sniffs, "I hope that you weren't trying  
anything perverted." She looked up at him, and her gaze sharpened. "Were you?"  
"NO!" Keitaro blurted instinctively, then thought, and said more slowly, "I was just worrying about you, and I was about  
to knock on the board and try and explain..."  
"It's all right Keiraro, it was my fault it got so out of hand." Naru apologized, "And about your arm, I didn't  
know about it. I really didn't even hear about it until all the girls came back, and told me that they saw you  
being hoisted up into an ambulance with Otohime with you. That girl, she really should learn to control herself."  
Naru suppressed a laugh, "Remember when we met her when we were "running away", and how much you acted alike?"  
"Yeah..." Keitaro smiled, "But Naru, I expected about that much about my arm. I know... That you... He trailed off,  
blushing wildly. "Care about... me too much... To do something like that on purpose to hurt me..."  
Naru got a familiar urge to punch him, but suppressed it, for now, she thought. Better to heal themselves then to hurt  
him more and test his loyalty.  
They sat and talked together for a long while, relating past events, things that needed doing, like getting into   
Toudai for one, and just getting to know each other again. They walked down from Naru's room feeing a lot better,   
not to mention relieved.  
  
Just as they were about to round the corner to the stairs, they heard a voice calling them.  
"Naruu and *hic* Kecharo are bach togecher! Chat calls fur mor chake!" Kitsume babled as she downed about a half a bottle  
of sake in one swig.  
"Kitsume, I think you've had enough for now." Naru said, snatching the bottle out from her hand. "But... Keitaro,  
isn't there a party for you out there? Come on, let's go!" Naru grabed his hand and lead him outside. Most of the   
residents of the dorm were out there on the grass, most of them looked depressed, except for Su, who was, as usual,  
pouncing around the group. She almost stumbled when she saw Keitaro and Naru smiling, and beside each other too!  
"Keitaro and Naru are baaaaack!" She yelled while running around her  
dorm members with a newfound energy. "Party party party!"  
Shinobu, Sara, then Hakura slowly looked up, and all their moods  
instantly shined. Even Mokoto, who was training on the roof of the  
inn, interrupted her routine and jumped down to join them.  
Keitaro looked over the group, a huge smile on his face. Naru would  
have been smiling, except for the fact that Kitsume was leaning on her,  
her drunkenness obviously taking its toll on the woman.  
  
The party went great. They laughed and played, and drank, and ate,  
but since they were all outside, none of them heard the phone  
ringing...  
  
************  
  
A week later, things were finally back to normal. Keitaro was being  
punched through walls, and those events ended in laughter, sometimes  
there were some soft moments between Keitaro and Naru, which were  
a welcome relief. Keitaro wanted, and was succeeding in, taking her  
mind off her sick sister, even tough he couldn't be sure. Keitaro,  
Naru, and Otohime were busy studying when Hakura opened the door to  
their room.  
"Naru, phone." Hakura announced, "It's your family."  
Naru's face suddenly turned to one of deep concern and rushed out to   
answer the phone.  
"I wonder what's wrong?" Otohime smiled, turning to face the door.  
Naru came in five minutes later, her expression causing the turtle lady  
to instantly faint.  
"She's dead," Naru said, her face full of disbelief "Mei-chan is  
dead."  
  
End of chapter 2 


End file.
